Marques de Moral: A Great Party Wine

What sort of wine should you bring as a guest to a dinner party? If you're like me, you don't want to spend too much money on a wine that may not appreciated by those who drink it. On the other hand, you don't want to bring a wine that is too cheap because then you might have to drink it. What to do?

Bring a bottle of Marques de Moral. This very nice Spanish wine is made from 100% Tempranillo grapes and aged 6 months in American oak barrels. According to the importer, Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd., you will encounter "Aromas of strawberries and dried cranberries enhanced by obvious spiky American oak."

This wine sells for $10 or less but tastes like it costs a good bit more. Prime Wines recently had it on sale for $5.99, so I bought at least four bottles.

Not only do you get a great deal of quality for your money, this wine is also a refreshing change of pace from the standard line-up of Merlot and Shiraz (or Merlot/Shiraz blends) one typically encounters at parties. In fact, since other party guests may not recognize the name 'Tempranillo,' they might drink less, thereby saving more of it for you!